The Great Mariano
by Gilmorecrazy04
Summary: Sometimes time is your worst enemy. Rory and Jess have a secret that threatens to destroy the things Rory loves in life. She has to choose between her family and her soulmate. Oneshot. Please Review.


For the first time in twenty years, Rory Huntzburger had done the right thing. As she made the long desolate walk to where she knew she would find him. she convinced herself that this was right. Telling Adelle was right. Adelle was getting married and she deserved to know the truth; the secret Rory had been keeping for twenty years now. Rory knew he agreed with her decision to tell Adelle, yet it had still been hard. But not as hard as this. Rory never knew the true meaning of "walk to shame" until she was forced to make that walk to the bridge. And she knew he'd be there. He was always there when she needed him to be. Seeing Jess on the bridge brought back years of memories. Rory really had loved him. Even when he ran from her she loved him. Part of her wished things had worked out differently because she had loved him so much. She wished she hadn't been so stuborn, and had gone to New York with him. Yet, things seemed to have worked out for her. She still did love him, but she had another life now. Rory was a mom of seven beautiful children. Seven children she loved more than anything in the world, and it was her job to protect them. That's exactly what she had been trying to do by keeping her secret, protect her kids. Rory had always known she wanted to be a mom, she couldn't imagine not wanting to be a parent. And that is what led her to keep a secret for twenty years, that and her love for Jess. Her secret had the potential of dividing her family, of ruining everything Rory loved dearly in this life. That's why her and Jess had decided to only tell Adelle. Rory now realized that was wrong. She was done with secrets forever. Next to murder she had done the worst sin,and she was ready to come clean to Logan. He, too, deserved to know. Convincing Jess however, would not be a simple feat.

Jess watched Rory reluctantly walk up to him and he knew what she was going to ask of him. And he'd do it, for her he'd do almost anything. She had given him what he wanted most in life, and he would be forever in her debt. That and he loved her. After all this time he still loved her. And he would still love her after this, although in his heart he knew this was officially the end of them. They had dragged out twenty years longer than they should have. All because Rory gave Jess the one thing his wife wouldn't. And he would be forever grateful. Jess listened to Rory say all the things he never wanted to hear, but he knew what Logan would have to hear was worse. "Jess, I have six other children I have to think about. I kept this secret for so long because of them, and yet, I know that I have to be fair to Logan. I can't ask Adelle to keep this secret from her dad. Or any of the family. She's close to her older brother, she'll tell Parker. And I can't ask her not to. All this secret has done is tear my family apart. Telling Logan may finish the rip, but I can't stand to let this secret slowly pull my family away. It puts distance between me and Logan and I can't have that." Jess listened and he actually understood. Him and his wife didn't have the connection that Rory and Logan had. Logan wasn't always the best thing for Rory, but he did try. Rory and Logan had the connection of children, of a family. Jess and Kate were just two people who lived under the same roof. Sure Jess wore his ring, but he wasn't sure it ever symbolized love to him. If it did, it had ceased to long ago. He couldn't live next to Rory Gilmore and not love her. It was wrong to marry Kate, but he didn't want to be alone. Rory married Logan, what was Jess to do? Rory was his soulmate, he had watched his soulmate walk down the aisle and marry the wrong man. And yet, Rory did have love for him. They had been through a lot, Jess didn't doubt that. And Rory loved him more than she did Jess now. Probably loved him more than Jess the night they had their first child, Parker Huntzburger. And now Rory was asking Jess to give her up. And he would have to honor her request. Afterall, Rory gave him the only thing he ever really wanted.

Rory couldn't believe it when Jess gave her his blessing to tell Logan. Jess knew what that would mean. Kate would find out. She wasn't only asking Jess to sacrafice her, but maybe Kate aswell. And he was going to let her. She at least hoped that Jess knew the pain this was causing her too. Today she had to choose to leave Jess behind. She never wanted to make that decision, yet she made it so long ago when she married Logan. However, she wasn't following through on that decision until she told Logan today. She was choosing Logan, but more than that, she was choosing her family. Rory was dreading this talk with Logan more than the one she just had with Jess. How do you spill a secret of that magnitude to your husband? Rory reached the house and found Logan in the kitchen. "Logan, there is something I have to tell you."

He was dizzy. His eyes were becoming clowdy. He was finding it hard to think. So that's why Adelle had asked him just yesterday if it was possible to love someone that you weren't related by blood with unconditionally. She was afraid he wouldn't love her anymore. He still remembered the day she was born. Parker was only one year old at the time. He was staying with Lorelai. He remembered thinking that Adelle was the most beautiful baby girl in the whole world. She was his first daughter. And now, Rory had just finished telling him that she wasn't his. He hadn't had an answer for Adelle yesterday, but if she were here now he would tell her yes. It was possible, because he still loved Adelle more than anything, other than his other children. In his eyes, Adelle was still his. Even if Jess was her biological father. He, Logan Huntzburger, who always thought he was the father of seven, was really only the father of six.

Kate had always lived a simple life. That was part of her attraction to Jess. He was happy simply watching a movie or reading a book. She never thought she'd be tied around a scandal such as this one. Yet, she should have seen it coming. Lorelai had warned her the day she married Jess that where Jess was trouble was never far behind. She liked the security of Jess. Of not being alone. No one wanted to be alone. However, she did not want to be with a cheater either. Sure, she was probably parially at fault. She knew when she married him that Jess wanted nothing more than to be a father, but she wanted nothing to do with motherhood. However, she chose not to share that with Jess until after the wedding. Jess had stayed with her, but thats when he stopped being happy, and stopped loving her. Rory loved Jess enough to give him what he wanted. Jess was lucky to have someone who would risk that much for him. Kate didn't. She wouldn't risk being a failure of a mother like her own to give Jess the baby he wanted. No, Kate didn't blame Jess. That's not why she was leaving him. She was leaving him, because she had to believe that somewhere out there, there was something more.

Rory sighed a breath of relief when Logan agreed that they should remain together. Rory knew he didn't completely understand why she needed to give Jess a baby. Jess was the only one who would completely understand. Regardless of that, Logan had forgiven her, and they were going to work past this. Rory's life was not taken away from her. However, by looking out the window she was reminded that Jess was. Jess and Kate had moved in next to her after Adelle was born. Jess wanted to have a peice in Adelle's life. And he had one more than anyone realized. He was the one that came up with the name Lorelai Adelle Gilmore Huntzburger. Looking out the window she could see the forsale sign stuck in Jess' yard. Him and Kate had agreed to split and they were both moving out of Stars Hollow. Jess never liked Stars Hollow, but he did love Rory and Adelle. Rory knew he could remain in Stars Hollow alone. It would be more than Jess could bear. Rory was really losing Jess, and it hurt more than she would ever let on to anyone. She had made the choise to be with Logan, because it was the right thing to do not because that's what her heart told her. Her heart would always parially belong to Jess. But she had to let him become her past. That was the wonderful thing about history, you could store feelings, memories, and pain there. And that's what she was going to do. Jess wasn't her Dodger anymore. He was her Gatsby. The love was still there, the only thing standing in the way was time. And this time, just like in the book, time was too big an obsticle to overcome. 


End file.
